Portable materials collector



y 7, 1955 J. STOKOE 2,708,489

PORTABLE MATERIALS COLLECTOR Filed July 17, 1951 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 IN VENTOR. JW SW MAM llll llllllll .1%- r |llllllllIllll\L y 7, 1955 J. STOKOE2,708,489

PORTABLE MATERIALS COLLECTOR Filed July 17, 1951 2 Sheets-Sheet 2INVENTOR.

United States atent O PORTABLE MATERIALS COLLECTOR James Stokoe,Chicago, Ill., assignor to Hydro-Ash Corporation, Chicago, Ill., acorporation of Illinois Application July 17, 1951, Serial No. 237,269

2 Claims. (Cl. 183-38) This invention relates to new and usefulimprovements in portable materials collectors, more particularly fluedust collectors for use in cleaning checkerwork of open hearth steelfurnaces and the like.

It is among the objects of the invention to provide improved meansemploying vacuum and pressure for handling materials such as granular orconglomerate materials from a point of collection to a point remotetherefrom in a highly elficient rapid and economical manner.

It is a further object of the invention to provide apparatus of simplecompact construction which shall eliminate long and costly ducts.

These and other objects of the invention will become more apparent froma consideration of the accompanying drawings, constituting a parthereof, in which like reference characters designate like parts, and inwhich- Fig. l is a top plan view of a portable materials collectingapparatus embodying the principles of this invention;

Fig. 2 a side elevational view thereof;

Fig. 3 an end elevational view illustrating the materials collectingapparatus and a truck for removing the collected materials;

Fig. 4 a vertical cross-sectional view of an intercepter embodied in thestructure shown in Figs. 1 to 3, inclusive; and

Fig. an enlarged side elevational view, partially in cross section, ofan exhauster.

With reference to the several figures of the drawings the referencenumeral 1 designates a collector shoe attached to a suction duct 2having a side connection at 3 to a cyclone separator 4. An exhauster 5is connected by a suction duct 6 to the top of the cyclone 4 by aT-connection 7. The exhauster 5 is more clearly shown in Fig. 5 of thedrawings with the inlet 6 at the top of the exhauster and an outlet 7which is connected to a Y 8, Fig. 3, having a duct 9 leading to a nozzle10 in a hopper 11 of an intercepter generally designated by the numeral12. Another connection 13, Fig. 2, leads from the Y 8 to a water storagetank 14. The latter is provided with baflles 15.

With reference to Figs. 3 and 4 of the drawings, the intercepter 12 isprovided with an opening 16 at the top of Fig. 4 for receiving the smallend 17 of the cyclone separator 4, Fig. 3. The intercepter isconstructed with baffles 18 and 19 having motor operated doors 20 and21, respectively, the partitions 18 and 19 dividing the intercepter intoseparate air-tight chambers. Doors 20 and 21 are hinged at 22 and 23,respectively, and are connected by links 24 to bell crank levers 25 thatare operated by cranks 26 driven by a motor 27. The intercepter ismounted on the receiving hopper 11 which has a disposal duct 28 by whichthe material or dust may be discharged to a receiving truck 29, Fig. 3.

With reference to Figs. 2 and 3 of the drawings, a water pump 30 isconnected to the water storage tank 14 and is provided with a duct 31that is connected to the 2,708,489 Patented May 17, 1955 inlet 32, Fig.5, of the exhauster 5. A plurality of water nozzles 33 are angularlydisposed around the bushing 34 to impinge high pressure jets downwardlyto create a suction in the duct 6 and the water passes downward throughpipe 13 into the water storage tank 14. Air under pressure produced bythe pressure jets 33 is delivered through duct 9 to the nozzle 10 inhopper 11 to force the accumulated granular or conglomerate materialsthrough the disposal duct 28. The discharge of air from the exhauster issealed by the column of water in pipe 13 to produce the necessary airpressure in conduit 9. The pressure in conduit 9 may be varied bylengthening or shortening pipe 13.

The dust collector apparatus is mounted on a supporting frame 35 havingwheeled axles 36 by which it may be readily transported to avoid use oflong and costly connecting ducts.

The operation of the above-described dust collector mechanism is brieflyas follows. The pump 30, Figs. 1 and 2, is energized as is the motor 27of the intercepter, Fig. 4. Water under pressure is delivered throughduct 31 to the exhauster 5 and through jet nozzles 33 which creates apartial vacuum in the duct 6 leading to the top of the cyclone 4. Theduct 2 which is a flexible member is likewise subjected to a partialvacuum and the collecting shoe 1 is submerged in the dust or othermaterials to be collected, which is drawn up through duct 2 into thecyclone separator 4. The exhauster, by means of the venturi action andthe high pressure jets 33, sets up air pressure in the ducts 9 whichproduces a high air velocity at the nozzle 10 in the hopper 11.

The dust collected in the cyclone separator 4 drops into the upperchamber of the intercepter 12. The doors 20 and 21 of the intercepterare opened and closed at about 20 second intervals and the cycle ofoperation is such that one of the two doors is always closed to theatmosphere and no vacuum can be produced in the ash tank or hopper 11.Suflicient power is available to maintain a tight seal but after eachdoor is pulled from its seat it is free to drop open. Adjustablecompression springs 25a control the time of closure and limit thepressure on the doors to insure positive operation. The collectedmaterial in the hopper is ejected by the air pressure from nozzle 10which is in alignment with the outlet connection to the disposal duct28; thus a continuous flow of ash or other materials is maintainedthrough the disposal duct 28.

It is evident from the foregoing description of this invention thatapparatus as herein described will remove materials from one or morepoints of collection to a point of discharge by means of a fluid flowingin a number of conduits mounted with other equipment on a portable unit.The apparatus eliminates long and expensive ducts and may be quicklymoved intact from place to place. It may be self-propelled or moved byexternal means. If the material handled is dusty, water sprays, notshown, may be used to eliminate the dust at the point of final disposal.

Although one embodiment of the invention has been herein illustrated anddescribed, it will be evident to those skilled in the art that variousmodifications may be made in the details of construction withoutdeparting from the principles herein set forth.

I claim:

1. In a portable materials collecting apparatus, a cyclone separator forreceiving the material, an exhauster having a duct communicating withthe top of the separator, said separator having a suction duct forcharging the material into the separator, an interceptor comprising ahousing open at the top for receiving the material from the separatorand having a hopper at the bottom, partitions dividing the interceptorinto a plurality of air-tight chambers, said partitions having doors andmeans for alternately opening and closing the same, a disposal outletfor said hopper, and an air pressure inlet therefor, said exhausterbeing connected to a Water pump and being connected to the air pressureinlet of said hopper, said exhauster including a venturi and a pluralityof nozzles angularly spaced to impinge high pressure Water jets from thepump into the venturi tube to create a vacuum in the duct connected tothe cyclone separator and to create a high pressure air stream for thehopper air pressure inlet.

2. In a portable materials collecting apparatus, a cyclone separator forreceiving the material, an exhauster having a duct communicating withthe top of the separator, said separator having a suction duct forcharging the material into the separator, an interceptor comprising ahousing open at the top for receiving the material from the separatorand having a hopper at the bottom, partitions dividing the interceptorinto a plurality of air-tight chambers, said partitions having doors andmeans for alternately opening and closing the same, a disposal outletfor said hopper, and an air pressure inlet therefor, said exhausterbeing connected to a water pump and being connected to the air pressureinlet of said hopper, said exhauster including a venturi and a pluralityof nozzles angularly spaced to impinge high pressure Water jets from thepump into the venturi tube to create a vacuum in the duct connected tothe cyclone separator and to create a high pressure air stream for thehopper air pressure inlet, and said exhauster having its venturi tubeconnected to a Water storage tank by a duct having its open endsubmerged in said tank.

I References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS1,873,884 Harris Aug. 23, 1932 FOREIGN PATENTS 734,716 France Aug. 8,1932

